Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-03-16
IN THE MANcos CANYON.
Relies Of n People Who Have Faded from
Ilr..snAnrInr


Relies Of People Who Have Faded from
the Earth-What u Prospector Saw.
The largest cliff house is worthy Of
better description than ! can give, but !
will try 10 describe II in my own way. lt
Is situate In Bear canyon $50 named by
prospectorsl. about three miles from the
Mancos canyon. on the west side. From
the bottom Of the canyon il requires about
one and onc-half miles walk from point
Immediately below il TO reach it. In
climbing the cliffs on the route took
found footsteps cut in the rock, and think
the people who lived here must have gone
up in the same way that did. When l
arrived found perpendicular clin about
forty feet high, which | climbed, by the
aid Of rope which threw on to small
cedar. at the risk OF breaking my neck,
but was well repaid for my troubles by
finding building at least 30 feet in
length, six stories in height in the front,
and from four to six rooms deep into the
cliff. This seems 10 have been a chiefs
house. or perhaps Pan Electric drcctor,
or perhaps n Doodle man. The rooms were
finely plaStcrcd with gypsum, which had
I n beautiful pink cast. In one room were
| stone lasts, rudely shaped, but after the
fashion Of the shoemaker's last OF today.
Another room had arrow heads, stone
axes and hatchets. There are also two
weaving rooms In one there is rude
kind Of loom. in the other shuttles and
other implements for weaving; but as
do not understand weaving as well as the
ancients. cannot describe them. found
specimens of cloth resembling coarse linen.
At one end found a chicken house with
roosts for chickens. also found jugs OF
pottery made to resemble our white
mountain quail. and think perhaps that
the mountain quail was at one time the
domestic fowl of these people.
There is also room in which venison
has been smoked. Every building has a
round water tank, from ten 10 fifteen feet
across, and the larger buildings rs many
as three The tanks vary in depth from
five TO ten feet. The kitchens OF these
buildings seem to have been built weaker
than any other part, rs they have nearly
all tumble,l down, while the other parts
Of the buildings are strong There are
bushels of broken pottery in the parts
fallen down, so naturally supposed them
to be kitchens. never found building
In which the kitchen was standing, hut l
do not douht but there are some of them
left standing. II one could he found that
had not fallen. think that there would
be a great deal Of pottery found. In every
ruin can be found corn cobS and husks,
squash rinds, bone knives, and curious
articles that | could not make out for
what use they were intended. There are
one or more granaries connected with
every building. They have doors and
windows in which slabs of slate are fitted
to such a nicely that mouse could never
get into them. There are also cellars in
which | found large jars covered with
smooth. fiat stones. What they contained
can only surmise.
The buildings were heated with n rude
kind Of furnace, passageway built of
stone and cement inside running the full
length Of the lower floor rs | supposed
for carrying heat to different apartments.
The walls in some places are covered with
paintings in which red colors predominant.
Pictures Of men, women, animals and
birds.-san Miguel tColoJ Cor. Denver
! Tribune.